10K race today, thought I was more like sub-38 shape during FM training so my plan was to go out at 6:05s but then the sun came out and I kind of just settled into what felt comfortable (turned out to be pretty much LT pace). It was 75* and humid and w/o any specific 10k workouts for 5 weeks, I guess overall it's a decent result and the heat got to everyone as only twice in the past 10 yrs has 39:0x been fast enough to finish in the top 5 of my AG. Reeled about 5 guys in the last mile so that's a good sign. I've got a 5K in 2 weeks, McMillan says this is 18:54, pretty sure I can hack sub-18:30, so we'll see. I did enjoy eating all the things and drinking all the Bud Lime at 2 cookouts yesterday and could feel that at the 5K mark today. It was fun just to get out and race and see a few local AG rivals today.

RunningNY: So sorry about your knee injury. Terribly bad luck with the timing, but I’m really impressed at your attitude. Best wishes for a quick recovery, and I really hope to hear good news soon.

mkerikss: A belated congrats on a fantastic race and making it to the top of the Marathon Talk podium! (Thanks again for the podcast rec – I listen to that every week now.)

habs_runner: Congrats on a great race! Looking forward to your RR!

RFW11: Nice win! It must take huge mental strength to run for 6 hours, and to take the win besides. It sounds like you’re building an awesome base for your 50 miler and a Fall marathon.

NACN: Amazing consistency in your recovery week. I’ll look to you for inspiration after my marathon.

Lawrence: Hope you enjoyed the Rangers win. As a Bruins fan, it’s hard to know who to root for in that series. I’m going to employ your week-after-marathon recovery week, making sure that # beers > # miles

slowrunsmile: Sorry about the rough half-marathon. The good thing is that you have some time to build a solid base for Chicago.

brent_hanson: Love your recovery days of junk food. I’m looking forward to that, too. Hmmm, not that I’ve really been that great about avoiding it pre-marathon…

SteveinMinn: Sounds like you have a great plan for staying healthy with strength training. I know I should do more of that, but I have to admit that I dread even my little 15-minute core sessions. Maybe someday.

Thomas: Thanks again for the roster (with new links to look at the top 5 overall and age-graded!) and the links to articles. I always read them to at least know the good advice that I then ignore.

By the way, I think that’s a great 10K time after a 70-mile training week, especially in that heat.

After a bit of a scare a few weeks ago, my training has been going well. After a ‘no quality’ week of recovery, I scaled things back to pretty much following the Hanson plan by the book. The Baker’s cyst on my knee is still there, but it isn’t getting bigger or causing any pain, so I’m just icing it a few times daily.

Habsrunner: Very nice race report. You execute beautifully and ran a quite evenly paced marathon. I love seeing that! Sounds like all of the changes you have made really paid off. I look forward to your continued amazing improvement. Congrats again - really nice job.

RunningNY - I'm sorry to hear about your meniscus. That sucks. I look forward to hearing you come back like Steve Austin.

Habs_runner - nice throw down. Enjoy Boston!

SteveInMinn - I like the getting back to your roots storyline.

RonInMaine - Nice last 2 weeks of training!

As for me, day after horrible half marathon training run, I ran 8 miles @ 7:50 like it was nothing. Makes no sense. Like mkerikss says, "bad day at the office". I only ran 28 miles last week because I had to prepare for a 60 person keg party that was awesome. Went through a keg and a half and everyone except the die-hard Blackhawks fans had a great time. This week i'm starting to feel good and strong. I've also dipped under 200 even with a 3 day binge over the holiday.

If I missed anyone or didn't congratulate anyone, sorry. I'm behind at work this week. Good running to all!

RoninMaine: Solid looking weeks as you approach the taper. Looks like a sub-3 attempt is imminent, do you want to make it an official goal? Frozen grapes = great low-cal snack.

habs_runner: Great RR, excellent race execution! You mentioned you are running another FM in September to improve your BQ for 2015. Last year, Boston registration closed on Fri, 9/20, so I'd aim for a race early-mid Sept just to be on the safe side.

"Running isn't a sport for pretty boys; It's about the sweat in your hair and the blisters on your feet. Its the frozen spit on your chin and the nausea in your gut. It's about throbbing calves and cramps at midnight that are strong enough to wake the dead. It's about getting out the door and running when the rest of the world is only dreaming about having the passion that you need to live each and every day with. It's about being on a lonely road and running like a champion even when there's not a single soul in sight to cheer you on. Running is all about having the desire to train and persevere until every fiber in your legs, mind, and heart is turned to steel. And when you've finally forged hard enough, you will have become the best runner you can be. And that's all that you can ask for."-Paul Maurer in The Gift: A Runner's Story

Habs - Great race report. Not boring at all. I actually found your training to be somewhat out of the box and unconventional. Maybe I missed it but in all of your heart rate driven training runs did you have any idea after the runs what paces these runs were at? If so...what kind of pace deviations did you see after your runs despite a consistent heart rate?

Ron - I can't wait to see what you do.

Thomas - Nice 10k!

Steve & rcl - Thank you for your personal stories wrt to the injury. Both first and second hand.

I am kind of in limbo now. In discussing this a little more I have received some feedback to at least give my knee a chance (although slim due the limited blood flow to that area) to heal on its own. A friend who is a PT recommended I try just biking, weights, etc. for a couple of months without running at all. I have a strong worry that this will just delay surgery and recovery but part of me thinks I should just give it a shot before I let the Doctor scope it. In the mean time I have been reacquainted with my road bike. I also got stuck on a recumbent bike at the gym the other day when all the upright bikes were in use....what a worthless device. I will have to fight to keep the weight off. I did run from my car to the gym through the parking lot completely pain free. It is funny but just that 10 second run felt SOOOO good. Don't take a single pain free stride for granted!

I am kind of in limbo now. In discussing this a little more I have received some feedback to at least give my knee a chance (although slim due the limited blood flow to that area) to heal on its own. A friend who is a PT recommended I try just biking, weights, etc. for a couple of months without running at all. I have a strong worry that this will just delay surgery and recovery but part of me thinks I should just give it a shot before I let the Doctor scope it. In the mean time I have been reacquainted with my road bike. I also got stuck on a recumbent bike at the gym the other day when all the upright bikes were in use....what a worthless device. I will have to fight to keep the weight off. I did run from my car to the gym through the parking lot completely pain free. It is funny but just that 10 second run felt SOOOO good. Don't take a single pain free stride for granted!

RunningNY, I tore my meniscus 11 years ago along with slight tweeks to the ACL and MCL on my left leg. I opted not to have surgery as my doc said I might be able to slide without it. I understood that meant that softball, basketball and pivoting were pretty much done for me. In fact, every now and then, I pivot and all the old pains, chords and swelling come back. that being said, I swam for a couple of years with no problems after giving it some rest. Kids took away swimming due to time limitations. Took up running. Jogged a couple of marathons and an ultra. My meniscus, ACL and MCL are the least of my worries. Last year, they switched up the Asic 2160 series and I developed plantar fasciitis like some others on this site. But that's just conjecture that the shoe did it.

Anyway, if you're not in a rush, you might not have to have surgery. If you want to play hoops or plant and throw, you're gonna need it.

Thomas - great job on the 10k. I think it would be interesting to sign up for a 5 or 10k race - it would be a first for me.

Lawrence - congrats on your team's win. I went to MSG for gm6 and sat in nosebleeds - a solitary habs fan. It was a traumatizing experience

SteveInMinn - Wow, that is a small race field. My marathons have tended to be between 2000 and 7000. Then again, i cant imagine running with 50000 either.

RoninMaine - Enjoy Taper time !

RunningNY - I can't relate to this injury at all, but I had another injury where the recommendation i was getting was surgery. But one podiatrist convinced me to hold off on that and try alternative means which worked. I agree with giving it a shot to heal naturally, if there is even a small chance.

-----------------------------

Week 1 post marathon - total mileage = 0. Until Thursday, i was really sore and any running was out of the question. Feeling much better now, my only hesitation is my right heel which still feels slightly bruised but much better than post race. I plan to take an easy run tomorrow - will be good to get back out there.

RunningNY, I did glance at my pace splits throughout my training, just not during my runs. But I didn't focus too much on it. Right when i started training, my trainer did a test on treadmill where i run 3 miles at the 148 HR and he recorded the times. Unfortunately, when we tried to repeat the test after 8 weeks, i was battling a minor injury so didnt work out. It then got lost in the marathon prep. I hope to repeat the test in a couple of weeks so i could quantify the HR improvements. I may review the data from the last training cycle to study the gradual improvements in my HR. I would have loved to see what my HR was for the race but...

Thomas: Thanks for the tip on the boston dates. I'm leaning towards the Allentown Lehigh Valley marathon september 7. It has only a 2000 cap, and promotes itself as very BQ friendly. I'll decide this week.

Habs_Runner-- Great Race report and I enjoyed reading about your more unconventional training. It seemed to work. I have mentioned a bit before but I use heart rate to somewhat pace a lot of my long runs-- especially since they are mostly trails and they can vary so much it gives me something consistent to use. I am not sure I understand where your coach came up with that number but I usually use 65-75% HRM (usually about 70% but heat and other variables can make it higher)

Slow Run Smile- glad it looked like a "Bad Day" we all get those.

RunningNY- wish I had some advice but its a hard call. I hope it heals quick, what a random injury (roofing)

RonnieMaine- Your up next looks like a solid training season, but what is the typical weather there on June 15th???

Thomas- Nice work on the 10k- have you picked out your 4th of July 5k (every town has one)-- I would love to hear about you beating all the young high school kids ALSO- Put me down for fall Marathon Peak to Creek on October 25th. Just signed up, goal will be determined a little closer to race time.

Me- Still trucking along but hit a PR week in Mileage again as my peak week before 50 miler taper. I hit 81 miles with 61.5 of them on trails (total elevation gain 10,525')

Monday -(Birthday run--now I am 38) - 10.5 trail (1897' of climb)

Tuesday- SRD

Wednesday- 12 treadmill 1%

Thursday 7.5 treadmill 1%

Friday- 20 Trail (3634' of climb)

Saturday- SRD

Sunday- 31 Trail (4994' of climb)

Well I feel like I have put in the time and especially the hill training for this 50 miler. All indicators suggest I am ready, although I am a little sad that I am not going to race it. I promised my brother in January that if he signed up as well we would run together (leave no brother behind...) He is also ready but has not hit the miles or even close to the hill work. (it really helps to live 20 minutes from Miles and Miles of mountain trails.) On the up side I may have a shorter recovery if I go slower in the race and can get into Marathon mode again soon. I just signed up for my Fall Marathon-- If any of you want a FAST marathon for October its a lot like St George with crazy downhill except the terrain is a bit rougher (loose gravel). Registration opened today (with 4 days notice as they RD just got the permits) But at 2:22 there are still 303 open slots. (fall in the NC mountains is amazing-- just sayin..)

rfw11 - Congrats on the PR mileage week and that elevation gain is unreal! Running 50 miles is still an amazing accomplishment even though you won't be racing it, and yea, you're probably setup better then to attack the FM training.

habs_runner - I ran Lehigh Valley last year, trying to improve my BQ-1:31 for 2014. Temps warmed up considerably but we had a decent amount of shade. There are several miles in the middle on unpaved trails, where it's hard to pass people (room for about 2 side-by-side). I ended up getting tripped and cramping and that pretty much ruined my race. Others had a great experience and dankelley set a PR there. If I were to do it over again this year and was looking to pick an early-mid Sept race before the Boston cutoff, I'd strongly consider the Erie Marathon which is a week after LV I believe.

RunningNY: Tough call, hopefully things will work out!

Week 3/3 5k/10k Introductory (also Days 29-35 post FM)

M - 10 @ 7:20 w/ 10K race in 39.09 (6:18s)

T - 4 @ 8:45 (am) / 12 @ 7:46 (pm)

W - 6 @ 8:45 (am) / 6 @ 8:46 (pm)

Th - 10 @ 8:10 hills w/ 12x60s uphill at 3K effort (jog dn recovery)

F - 16 @ 7:46 flats

S - 6 @ 8:53

Sn - SRD

----------------

70 mi

This week concluded a 3-week introductory period of short LT runs and hill reps to prep for the 5k/10k workouts which start tomorrow. Monday's 10K race turned into an expensive LT workout, I suppose I was just happy to update a very stale 42:xx PR and wasn't ready to choose the pain of a sub-38 pace which I should have been capable of. I guess it will take a few 10Ks to get used to the effort level of that race distance. Have an upcoming 5K this weekend, hopefully it will give me a higher VDOT than the 10K. Either way I guess it's all a starting point before 13 weeks of the 5k/10k workouts, culminating in a Labor Day goal 5K race.

thomas - hmm, Erie sold out mid may. I just put myself on the waitlist, but 388 ahead of me, so unlikely to happen. They say to expect about 100 slots to open. Another option beside for Lehigh valley is Edmonton on August 24. It is also a fast flat race.

RFW11: Welcome to 38! Congrats on the pr week, especially the trail run! 31 miles with 5000’ of climbing is an amazing accomplishment in itself. I’m curious about the logistics of eating and drinking while on that length of run. Do you just carry lots of water or have some places to get some along the way?

Thomas: I like your mileage ticker. 70 mpw is an impressive goal. I have a yearly mileage number in mind for myself, but it looks puny compared to that. It will be interesting to see how your 5K goes. By the way, my HM was “Race the Runways” in Brunswick, ME.

RunningNY: After reading your last post, I’ve been extra-thankful for pain-free running – it must be so tough to have that taken away. Tough choice on the knee. It’s so tempting just to get the surgery and be done with it, but maybe that’s not the best. Maybe get a second (third?) opinion?

habs_runner: I enjoyed your race report. I’m impressed at how dedicated you were to a new training approach. I have to admit that I’ve been looking at possible BQ chances in late August/early September as well. There’s surprisingly few in the Northeast. Have you heard anything about the Quebec City marathon on August 24th?

slowrunsmile: Looks like you’re back on track!

My week was pretty much ‘by the book.’ – nothing exciting which is probably good at this point.

The run on Saturday was on a bit more of rough trail than I imagined – rocks, tree roots, rickety bridges – but a lot of fun. I’m hoping to do more of these in the future to save my legs from concrete and build in more mileage.

Checking the LONG term weather forecast for my race, temps predicted to be in the 50’s to low 60’s. The wind is an x-factor, but, since the course is out-and-back, it has to be a tailwind sometimes, right?

Did my last ‘strength’ run for this cycle today (6 x 1 mile repeats). Feeling strong and ready to go! Wish I could just fast-forward through these next 2 weeks to get to the race.

Thomas: by the way, that was a great 10k you ran in those warm conditions. Perfect splits, which you know I like. Under ideal conditions, a sub-38 is well within your reach. I like your 5k training plan - amazing that you will be knocking out 70 mile weeks while doing it. That should get you into tremendous shape to then segway into your 12 week Philly marathon plan.

Habs: good recovery week! Sorry about your Habs - well, not really! The Kings will be tough. I will be at game 3. BTW, do you live in NY?

Ronin (is it Ron or Ronin?): i agree that you seem primed for your race. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and you will kill it.

Rob: what a mileage week. Those climbs are sick! Great job.

Slowrunsmile: a 60 person keg party?! What, are you 20 yrs old again?

Runningny: so sorry to hear about your injury. I echo what most have said on here.

Steve: hope all is well in MN. I responded to a shoe post you put on regarding the Kinvera 5s. Sounds like you like them. Do you do all your runs in them? My Pearl Izumi Streak 2 are discontinued and I scoured the internet for all remaining pairs earlier this year. I am down to my last 2 so will need to switch it up after about 3 years.

My week, which was week 4 post-marathon, was a good one with some good quality.

Sun: 7.5 @ 7:11 w/ 6 miles of ladder stepdowns running by time of 7 mins-6-5-4-3-2-1 with half time recovery of running easy after each one; Estimated paces were: for the 7 min around MP pace, 6 min between MP and HMP, 5 at HMP, 4 at 15k, 3 at 10k, 2 at 5k, 1 almost all out; The 6 miles was @ 6:52 overall; This is a great run to run by feel and it really sneaks up on you as the paces get faster and the rest becomes less; Really felt good on it; If you want an interval workout that is not so regimented, try this one.

TOTAL: 34

Not a ton of mileage, but some good runs to stay in shape. The body feels good running 5 days a week with some quality mixed in. I'll probably keep it between 35-40 or 45 for the near future.

Lawrence, nice quality. EVERYONE was primed for my keg party as I dubbed it the "Parents' Post Winter Party". There were about 20 couples (no kids allowed!!!) from my son's school, T-ball and karate. I put out a cold plate and ran a keg of Leinenkugel Summer Shandy and a Bud light. Everyone came at 6 pm and left at 11:30 because their sitters had to get home. It was a rough winter like most everywhere with negative temps and snow. People were primed to cut loose without the kids.

On to business: Going to sign up for RockNRoll half chicago because I need a race to get into a decent corral for Chicago AND it's the Sunday before my 12 week Pfitzger training plan as advised by Thomas. Do I purchase this plan? Where do i pick this up? Is there a link someone can send me. someone might have to decode it for me later.

While I'm here and avoiding work, did 13 sunday, 6 yesterday and 9 today and I'm completely energized and feel great. speed will come with weight, but very excited about possibilities. I haven't been under 190 since 2011. Ok, everyone have a good week. I'll catch up on Sunday. RonInMaine: Good Luck, go get'em! If anyone else is running this weekend, best to you!

RoninMaine: Looking strong, enjoy the taper! Cool that you get to cross the border on the course. Do you think the hills will be challenging or are you comfortable with them?

Lawrence: Thanks, yea, I have to remind myself that the short races now are just a starting point before specific training. Nice looking interval workout, seems like a good idea to run by feel as the temps creep up.

SlowRunSmile: Epic kegger! Seems like the weight is coming off at a nice clip, great work! Pfitzinger's plans are in the book. Also check your library for the book if you are cheap like me, mine had a few copies.

“He wanted to impart some of the truths Bruce Denton had taught him, that you don't become a runner by winning a morning workout. The only true way is to marshal the ferocity of your ambition over the course of many days, weeks, months, and (if you could finally come to accept it) years. The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials. How could he make them understand?” - John L Parker in Once a Runner

RunningNY - So sorry again about the injury. Wish you a speedy recovery!

Thomas - It is testament to your great training and progress that you can run a stale race like that and still get a decent time. As I've said before, it will be great to follow this speed training block of yours!

HabsRunner - Great RR, really enjoyed reading it, and well done in both training and racing!

RoninMaine - You're looking ridiculously strong, let's hope you can bring this form into the race fully tapered and ready to go and you'll do great!

Lawrence - I like the look of that workout, will have to try it some time.

I'm running a HM on saturday. It will probably be hot (20+ C), and I have no idea what to expect given that it will only be 4 weeks after my FM, so I'll just go in and try to enjoy it. Still I think that unless conditions are extreme I should be able to to 1:20-1:21 territory, and on a good day sub-1:20 might be on the cards. Will keep you posted.

habs_runner--great RR, I really enjoyed reading how you attacked things differently, especially in terms of the HR training and the diet. Fascinating to see that you managed to race the entire thing and took only one gel. And I loved seeing how calm you remained when you realized that your Garmin wasn't going to cooperate.

Thomas--belated congrats on the 10K PR, even if it wasn't the time you wanted. Good luck with the 5K/10K training! I'm just starting a 10K specific training cycle for August 10th race.

RoninMaine--it totally looks like you're ready to go! I know what you mean about wanting to fast-forward up to race day.

LT--you most definitely seem to be well-recovered, and you're being smart in keeping the mileage down while at the same time putting in just bits of quality. I'm sure you'll be ready to tackle whatever comes next.

SlowRunSmile--it's odd how we can have a solid run the day after a race that didn't go as planned. I remember having a rough day at Indy Monumental in 2011, when I decided to DNF after the halfway point. The next day, I went out and ran the same distance at about the same pace as they day before, but the effort felt much easier. I was both happy to get in a run like that and ticked off that I happened to struggle so much the day before.

Glad to see that running is going well. It looks like I'll finally be pacing at RnR Chicago this year (the one big race in Chicago that I hadn't paced). I'll be pacing 1:35, just in case you're considering that goal.

mkerikss--good luck this weekend. Is it supposed to be that warm at the start of the race, or is 20 C the expected high temp?

Getting back on track.Screw that, NACN!! is back on track! Desperately seeking mojo.

I'm over four weeks out from my goal spring marathon, and I think I'm recovered enough to move on to the next goal, working on finally beating my 5 year old 10K PR of 38:38. I just started a ten week 10K training plan for a goal race on August 10th. This will then be followed by a 12 week plan for Indy Monumental that will start the next day.

Getting back on track.Screw that, NACN!! is back on track! Desperately seeking mojo.

RoninMaine: Looking strong, enjoy the taper! Cool that you get to cross the border on the course. Do you think the hills will be challenging or are you comfortable with them?

Yes, it should be fun to literally run across the border. The course is a bit hilly, but it's pretty similar to the terrain I train on normally. I haven't done any specific hill workouts, but hopefully my body's used to running up and down them every day anyway.

Well, my HM didn't go exactly as planned, although now that I get some perspective a couple of hours later I'm actually feeling less and less disappointed. Finished in 1:22:51, 14th place out of some 1500. 1st percentile is always nice although I did get chicked once (she finished in 1:20:05).

The course was really difficult, and that is why I'm getting more satisfied with my result now than I was when I was running. For one thing, it had about 5 km or so of gravel roads, and it was very much going up and down all the time. I thought before that getting 1:20 would be awesome, and 1:20-1:22 would be good and I'd be happy, but I wasn't taking the difficulty of the course into account, so I'll take this result.

That being said, I didn't run a great race. I went out way too fast in the first couple of k, and I sort of quit after 10k. Well not as much quit as stopped pushing as hard really, although it was probably not that bad, cause I would almost definitely have crashed and burned had I continued. I felt I was working very hard already after 3 or 4 k, and after 6k I had to let go of a group I was running with. I knew at 10 k, where I went through in 38:19, that I was never going to keep it up and was setting myself up for a complete disaster, so I resigned mentally to not hitting my goal paces anymore. In a way I think that this helped me run more relaxed and took the pressure off me, so I could still keep running reasonably well even though I had "quit".

I found a second wind at about 18k when some spectators shouted to me and a guy who was reeling me in that it was the last uphill, so I got stuck in with this guy when he passed me. This last 3k, although hard, were not nearly as difficult as any of the km:s from 3k until that point, which tells you something. With one k to go the guy told me that we would break 1:23. I thought it was a given, but it ended up being pretty close even though we turned the burners on the final few hundred meters. The official watch showed 1:22:59 when we passed (him just before me, I wasn't up for the fight), and sine I started in the second line I don't know where they found those extra 8 seconds, but whatever...

A few things I take with me/take note of:

-Half marathons are tougher than I thought!

-Given the difficulty of the course, my result wasn't as bad as I first felt (was pretty furious at 10k)

-Running on your own from 6 through 18k is hard work.

-I wasn't really focused enough. I'm sure I would have run better if I would have paid as much attention to detail, and to mental preparations, as I did before Prague. Instead, I wasn't in it mentally until about 10 minutes before the start, when I was talking to a few other runners, and got overpsyched instead, which resulted in going out too hard. This didn't last for long though, and I'm aware of that I didn't fight quite as hard as I could have at certain points of the race.

-Pole-dancers in the finishing area is something for other races to emulate!

-I definitely think that this being my first ever HM played a part as well. This experience will definitely help me run better in the future.

My splits:

1k - 5:56

2k - 5:53

3k - 6:15

4k - 6:17

5k - 6:15

6k - 5:48

7k - 6:07

8k - 6:15

9k - 6:09

10k - 6:15

11k - 6:26

12k - 6:18

13k - 6:34

14k - 6:38

15k - 6:41

16k - 6:31

17k - 6:23

18k - 6:55

19k - 6:15

20k - 6:18

21k - 6:17

One big advantage with HMs is how quickly you can recover from them. I already feel reasonably fresh a couple of hours later. New try in August, onwards and upwards (although hopefully not up quite as many hills as in this one)!

Mkerikss – Well, congrats on your finish. Your time is wonderful in almost anyone’s book. That being said, I can see why you’re a little disappointed. You’re in -- or perhaps nearing --your prime age for top-notch half-marathoning. I love halfs … more than marathons to be honest. It really is a different animal. You’ll rock the next one. Something tells me you might grow to like the distance!

NACN – Great week for you .. .and great goal! A sub-39:00 10K is no small thing!

SlowRun – The keg party sounds wonderful; can I come? Good work to you running-wise too.

Hi Lawrence … I haven’t been on Runner’s World as much lately so I missed your shoes post. No, I have three other pairs in rotation besides the Kinvara 5s. Plus they’re the Boston “special edition” so I’m not going to use them on sweaty or rainy runs. Also, I had a fresh pair of Kinvara 4s in the box, so I need to use those up first, haha. Then I’ll probably get a pair of 5s that are not the “Boston” edition to work a bit harder than I’ve been working these. Love them though. Anyway … way to stay in shape. 34 miles is more than most folks can ever hope to do!

Ron – Nice week. It does feel good to get off-road occasionally doesn’t it?

Thomas – Strong work as usual, though the 10K did not turn out as planned. Congrats on the PR though. : Any news on the 5K?

As for me …

All has been well here. I’ve run in the mid-30s mileage-wise but pretty fast (most sub-7:30, plenty of sub-7:00) and with lots of cross-training. I’ve been trying something new … doing light weights nearly every day, usually at the gym a few steps from my house, and swimming a few times a week. There’s a little biking in there too. I’ve noticed a big difference. It seems my body can tolerate the faster paces as long as it gets cross-training too. Interesting.

I’m writing this from a Super 8 south out Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Tomorrow is half-marathon day! Let’s just say it’s the polar opposite than NYC. A tiny race. I will park about 100 feet from the start/finish. Can’t make this up. Running is so wonderful … the number of options we have.

A quick report from this tiny half-marathon (well, from a place in Sioux Falls that serves decent red curry, haha).

A 1:29:14 was good for fourth place out of 86 half-marathoners.. But I won the master's division, if they had one. The three faster times (and ages) were 1:15 (21), 1:22 (19), and 1:28 (29). I kept gaining on the third-place guy, but unlike a few other youngsters I passed he kept strong till the end.

My only master's competition was a 51-year-old who ran 1:30. The next guy in the over-40 set ran 1:40!

It's first time running a race for "place" instead of just time. Different mindset.

Today's 5K result sucked but I did learn a few things. I went with a planned positive split strategy of 5:45/5:55/6:05 for a 5:55 pace goal. Mile 1 I'm 1st OA and chasing the lead motorcycle. Then at 1.25 I feel like I've been punched in the stomach and a 17 yr old passes me hardly working. Mile 3, my legs are cement and I make a wrong turn (there's a 10k earlier and the course markings are still out) so I end up running 3.22 miles. 3rd OA, a kid, maybe 15, yells at me that I'm going the wrong way and I turn around and have to chase him down the last 0.1 mile. Positive is I did finish 2nd OA and brought home a trophy for my 4 yr old and 2 yr old haha. I thought for sure my fat guy PR of 19:2x from a few years ago was going down after the 39:09 10K 2 weeks ago. It is what it is, 10:30am start and already 82F. I will just put my head down the next 12 weeks and train my face off until the goal Labor Day 5K. I knew cramming in all of the quality this week + not cutting back the mileage would negatively impact my race but this race was more about just getting some experience at the distance. Monday's Daniels workout was tough, I'm using the VDOT for 6:49 MP and the 200s/400s are supposed to be done at 5:28 pace, basically a touch slower than what I'd guess is mile race pace. Could not extend the 200 pace to 400s but it's only week one, improvement ahead. My calves were screaming on Tuesday, so I've added compression sleeves to my Father's Day wish list.

mkerikss - Great race! Your speed is beyond my comprehension. I think you have done a really good and thorough job of analyzing your performance.

Steve - I enjoy the little races and most of the finishes I have gone through look just like your pictures. Interesting to hear about your fewer miles, higher intensity, frequent cross/strength training workouts. Maybe you have posted this before and I missed it but have your ever done/considered a tri?

Thomas - I am glad you got a prize for your kids. I am sure they think their dad is a super hero.

Ron - looking forward to seeing what you do.

NACN - great training still. Bulls eye pacing!

After two weeks of not running a single mile I fell off of the wagon. I have had an eye on a 5k held near my childhood home town for a while. My brother and I had planned to run it together until my injury a few weeks back. He has only run one Warrior Dash (finish top 2 %) so he and I were both excited to race. I talked to him Friday and could tell he was bummed out no one would be there to watch and I wouldn't be there to run. Friday at dinner I was telling my wife about it and she said, "do you want to go"? I had a stiff drink in me and said that while it probably wasn't the, "smart thing" but it was her call. I think she saw how excited I was to go and run it with my brother. Saturday morning we got up at 5:45am and drove 2 hours to get there. I recognized the kid who won last year in 18:30 at 15 and figured he would be faster and I would have no business even trying to hang with him. I also realized that the course was a rather tough one. My brother and I ran together through 1.5 miles and when we hit a rather substantial hill I finally pulled ahead by 30 to 40 yards. I was content to finish in second in 19:51. I kept looking over my shoulder waiting for my brother to make a move but when he did it was just to make sure that he came in under 20 which he did in 19:55 to take 3rd Overall in his first road race. Despite the slow finishing times 379 showed up. I saw my friend the PT later that day who scolded me for running. I plan to stay on the bike but may cheat again on July fourth for a local race that I really enjoy.

Thomas: That’s one hell of a high quality week. I’m thinking your 5K time will be WAY faster when you taper and the weather is less than 80 degrees. It’ll be great to follow your progress to the Labor Day 5K.

RunningNY: Hey, you only live once, right? Nice 5K. Maybe you’re just healing up quicker than you thought you would.

mkerikss: I know you’re disappointed, but that’s still a really impressive HM considering the hills and the gravel surface. It’s hard to get really serious mentally for a race that wasn’t your main goal for so long.

SteveinMinn: Congrats on the 4th place and Master’s win. It looks like you won the entire 30-and-over division!

NACN!: Cranking out 80 mpw is so impressive – great stuff. Honestly, though, did you pace the half-marathon by running 1:25, taking a nap, then strolling across the line?

Lawrence: Yes, it’s ‘Ron’ in Maine. (I thought I was a bit clever since it’s close to ‘runnin’ man’ if you squint a bit.) Nice quality week.

Feeling ready to go. We’re going through a heat wave at the moment with high temps in the 80’s, but the current forecast for race time is 55-60 degrees with light winds. I’ll be happy with those conditions.

Relaxing week here. about 47 miles and a small ankle pinched nerve thing came and went. Got a new water harness back pack thingy so I'm ready to start logging bigger miles. Not much weight loss, but friends at pool say i look much different at pool. Fat turning to muscle?

M - 6.07 @ 8:04

T - 9.04 @ 8:41

W - 5.05 @ 7:59

Th - 10.00 @ 8:23

Friday - Took day off

Sa - 6.03 @ 8:13

Su - 11 @ 8:46

Will take up the Sunday long run this week and get in some swimming and weights. I'm thinking mileage wise this week - 6, 10, 8, 10, 8, rest, 15. 18 weeks until Chicago. Take it up one more notch.

Ron- Hope you have a great final! Your training has been great, I am looking forward to seeing a nice sub 3 on your PR line

Mkerikss- Sorry that the time was not what you wanted but MAN THAT'S FAST!!!! Not sure I will ever get to the day that a 1:22 would be a let down but it is amazing how perspectives change. I remember just 3 years ago after my first marathon 3:57, an old friend of mine said "you should try and run Boston" to which I replied, not until I become a 60 year old woman. (implying a qualifying time was never going to be possible...) Mkerkiss, You will be a moose mugger soon

NACN- wow on the mileage and the pacing-- but was that clock time or chip time? I have really enjoyed pacing, and at this last one in March I wanted to hit my pace time exact on the clock (leaving me 20 seconds ahead of chip) Alas I missed it by 5 seconds-- but you my friend are perfect!

Thomas- great job on the speedy 5k- I have never broke 20:00 but may give it a go this summer? Keep up the killer work.

Running NY- Also great job on the 5k- Just think how fast you would have been on 2 good knees I am very happy to see you getting out and running (at least a bit)

Steve- 4th overall is amazing-- and as others have said first over 30 counts for something as well. Keep up the great speed work. I am looking forward to getting back into some speed again.

SlowRunSmile- Nice solid week, especially for pre18 week plan. You should have a solid base to work off of. Sometimes weight does not drop off quick on the scale when fat turns to muscle you get heavier...

Me- Week 1 of taper was good but I think all the hills and trails this spring are catching up with me, my knees were getting pretty sore this past weekend on the long downhills (mostly recovering from last Sundays 50k) I am going to cut back a bit more this week probably only 35 miles

Last week-

M off

T - 6.2 easy (8:15 pace)

W- 8 easy treadmill (8:20 pace)

Th- 6.4 easy (8:14 pace)

F- 20 trail miles (10:00 pace, 3440' elevation gain/loss)

S- off

Su- 12 trail miles (10:49 pace, 2094' elevation gain/loss)

52.6 miles (taper week 1)

Hope everyone has a great week, I have 4 more days to teach then its (insert music here)-- Schooooools....Out...For... Summer....

Wow, that is a lot of great race finishes posted in this thread the last 2 weeks.

mikerikss - that is a great time on the HM! I hear u about the hills, i do a half each summer in the laurentiens and its quite hilly. Its a great workout but a killer on PRs. What was your strategy with hills?

SteveInMinn - Thanks for the pics and congrats on 4th place! Make sure you brag about that (just neglect to mention the race size

Lawrence - the ladder stepdown looks like a solid workout - i want to give that a try soon. Yes, I live in NY (live in brooklyn and work in the city).

Ron - Big day coming up! Praying for great weather for u. QC is supposed to be a really nice race but not flat - i have some friends who ran it.

Running NY- Was really glad to hear about your run. Hopefully you're well on the mend.

SlowRunSmile - Solid running. One of the nice perks of running - the pool body, eh?

Thomas, I didnt pick my marathon yet, but still leaning towards lehigh valley. You can put me down on the HM page for Mont Tremblant HM (In Quebec) on Aug 10. Looking to improve on my 28th place finish last year, out of about 1000 runners. My goal is 1:22. I'm doing a 3 mile race next week. Its the wall street run and heart walk. Will be a PR no matter my time.

Its now 2.5 weeks out from my marathon and still feeling a couple sore spots - namely in left groin area but probably just need time to get better.

I did 30 miles last week and got a solid 15 mile in sunday and another 12 today so starting to get back into routine.